The Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Graduate Student Organization (GSO), in collaboration with the ECE Student Advisory Council (SAC), held the first-of-its-kind grad school prep event dubbed "Grad School: To Be or Not to Be?". It was primarily organized to help undergraduate students make inform decisions and better understand the transition to graduate school.

Many ECE undergraduate students are uncertain about whether to pursue graduate education. Would their specific career aspirations help them pursue a master's or Ph.D. or neither? Which program would be the best for them? And even after deciding, how do they go about the application process? This event sought to address these concerns and any other related matters.

The event had two main sections. The first was a panel of ECE faculty comprised of assistant professor Daniel Molzahn, senior academic profesisonal Daniela Staiculescu, and professor of the practice Gregory Mihalik. The panel was moderated by Lakshmi Raju, director of ECE Student Engagement and Well-Being. Panelist provided different perspectives on different paths and shared experiences in their roles. Raju and undergraduate students asked questions, allowing panelists to highlight the reasons for deciding their career paths and how their degrees helped them.

"I was happy to moderate the event, as deciding your future can be challenging, and students can only benefit from hearing more information and advice about their options," Raju said. "It was great to see so many students interested in considering graduate school opportunities."

Following the panel session, graduate students led a networking session with undergraduate students to share experiences in the program and offer advice on application strategies, fellowship opportunities, and more.

“Considering that this was the first time organizing this event, it was a success,” said Richard Asiamah, president of the ECE GSO and ECE Ph.D. candidate. “In the coming years, we will try to invite individuals from the industry to provide extra perspectives.”

The president of the Student Advisory Board, Rhett Carver, also shared his thoughts on the event, "I'm happy to see students interested in exploring life after their undergrad, whether it's graduate school or industry. There's an unnecessary expectation to continue into graduate school, but that's not always the best way forward. It's important to realize that successful people are on both sides of the coin."

The full recording of the event can be viewed below and here.